Housing market rebounding?

by David Weissman, Special to the Citizen 06/14/12

Laura Lafayette

The housing market in Henrico and metro Richmond area appears to be headed in the only direction it could go -- up. That was the general consensus of attendees at the Richmond Association for Business Economics’ luncheon last month at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, following a presentation by Richmond Association of Realtors CEO Laura Lafayette.

“What I took away, and what I think [everyone else is] taking away as well is the real estate market has really bottomed out in the Richmond region,” said RABE president Charles Kennington. “And going forward, we’re going to see more good news than bad news.”

The numbers showed that the units sold in Virginia declined every year from 2005-2010, with last year showing the first signs of improvement (slightly more than 11,000 in 2011 compared to about 10,600 in 2010).

Lafayette pointed out that, while the units sold rebounded slightly in 2011, each county saw a significant drop-off in average selling price. Henrico witnessed the biggest decrease, with units selling at an average of $230,823 in 2011 compared to $250,535 in 2010, a decrease of nearly 8 percent.

While her overall comments were encouraging, Lafayette warned that the number of units sold in 2005 (just more than 20,000) was probably more than the Richmond area could maintain, adding that 2007 totals (about 15,800 units) were a more attainable goal.

“We’re just looking for the market to behave normally,” she said, “not take off.”

Henrico did rate better than the other counties in other categories, though, such as active listings (1,275 as of May 20), sold vs. listed percentage (60 percent) and average sales per month (245). Henrico also rated well in average days on market (DOM), with 70 the current average for May 2012.

Lafayette, though, told attendees not to pay attention to DOM because real estate agents “can be creative.” An agent can re-list a house by taking the property off the market for a couple hours and putting it back on. This process gives the property a new Multiple Listing Service (MLS) number and resets the DOM.

Lafayette stressed the significance of the average list price of newly constructed homes compared to that of resold homes (those built since 2006). New homes in Henrico were listed, on average, for $375,926 compared to $348, 937 for resold homes. Other counties saw an even larger difference.

“We need to get resale price closer to new price,” Lafayette said.

The big difference is scaring off potential new-home buyers because of the appearance that their investment almost immediately loses value, she said.

Nationally, the housing market had its best first quarter in five years, and foreclosures are down significantly, she said. In Virginia, the percentage of units sold has been up every month except for March, though Lafayette said she wasn’t concerned about the change (about half a percent).

There is a concern, though, that the good numbers for January and February may cause a softening in May and June, normally the highest selling months, she said.

There is a stubbornness on the part of some “boomers” to not sell their properties now because they’re bitter about the fact that they could have sold them for more years ago, she said.

“People’s 401k has become their 201k,” she joked.

RABE has about eight to 10 regular luncheons each year on topics relevant to the Richmond community, Kennington said.

“Clearly, real estate, having suffered the downturn that it did, is something we think is on the minds of our members and the public at large,” he said.

“When we reached out to Laura, we didn’t know what her message was going to be. So, whether it was good or bad, we just want to see what the facts are to inform our membership.”

The fire broke out in the third floor of the Chase Gayton apartment complex in the 10 block of Chase Gayton Drive, near the intersection of Gaskins Road and Quioccasin Road, at about 1:20 p.m. Sept. 24. > Read more.

Crime stoppers needs your help to solve a double homicide that occurred in the City of Richmond in June of this year.

On Wednesday, June 7, at approximately 9:53 p.m., Richmond police officers responded to several calls for random gunfire in the 3600 block of Decatur Street. They arrived and found the victims, two males, Christian Singleton and Ketron Wells. The victims were outside on the ground lying near each other. Both victims had received fatal gunshot wounds. > Read more.

The Richmond Astronomical Society and Libbie Mill Library will host a presentation about the night sky and its astronomy Sept. 28, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Attendees will enjoy amazing views of the moon and other celestial objects with high-quality telescopes operated by members of the Richmond Astronomical Society. Guests will be able to see craters and seas on the surface of the moon with clarity and detail. > Read more.

The number of homes sold in Henrico County in August rose 10 percent when compared to the same month last year, according to data compiled by Long & Foster. The average sale price of those homes – $239,975 – also rose, by about 4 percent when compared to the same average sale price in August 2016.

Henrico's jump in the number of homes sold was the largest in the Richmond region, though average sales prices in Chesterfield (8 percent increase) and Richmond (12 percent) jumped by higher amounts when compared to last August sales. > Read more.

Graham M. Bundy, a thoracic surgeon with HCA Virginia Physicians’ Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, is the first such surgeon in Central Virginia to perform 100 minimally-invasive Da Vinci robot-assisted lobectomies (a surgical procedure to remove a lobe of the lung). The procedure is used to treat multiple types of conditions but is most often used to treat lung cancer. > Read more.

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The Varina High School PTSA Community Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school, 7053 Messer Rd. There will be vendors, water gun paint art, information tables, a STEAM station and alumni posters, as well as rock painting with RVA Rocks for $1 and face painting for $1. Vendor tables are $15 each. To reserve a table, contact Mattie Jones at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Anna Meeks at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Admission is free but donations are accepted.
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